Dragonfly companion Haseeb Qureshi printed a category-by-category set of 2026 crypto predictions on X late Monday, arguing subsequent yr will “shock, each to the upside and to the draw back” even when “the pattern traces largely proceed.”
Bitcoin And Crypto Predictions For 2026
His headline macro name pairs a bullish bitcoin goal with a broader market rebound. “BTC is > $150K by year-end, however BTC dominance decreases in 2026,” Qureshi wrote. However he rejected the concept that this mechanically implies a blow-off alt cycle: “I don’t suppose it is going to be wild sufficient to name it alt season. I believe alts will rebound however, simply to not loopy highs.”
Furthermore, Qureshi mentioned “the latest crop of fintech chains” won’t meet expectations on utilization and worth stream. “Regardless of the joy across the latest crop of fintech chains, their metrics will underwhelm,” he wrote, pointing to “every day lively addresses, stablecoin flows, and RWAs.” He named Tempo, Arc, and Robinhood Chain as seemingly laggards, whereas including that “Ethereum and Solana will overdeliver” and that “finest builders will proceed to construct on impartial infra chains.”
On enterprise rails, he expects extra massive corporations to launch networks, skewing towards regulated incumbents. “Many extra Fortune 100s launch blockchains, though more and more concentrated amongst banking and fintech gamers,” he wrote, including: “Count on Avalanche to be a standout right here, alongside OP stack, Orbit, and ZK Stack.”
Qureshi additionally predicted a serious distribution transfer from shopper tech: “A giant tech firm (Google, Fb, Apple, and so forth.) launches or acquires a crypto pockets in 2026.” And he supplied a contrarian timing name on Monad: “Monad will get written off as lifeless by CT, however metrics take off within the latter a part of the yr after analysts have already forgotten about it.”
On infrastructure, he mentioned DoubleZero adoption broadens: “A minimum of 3 different chains connect with DoubleZero to enhance their latency & throughput metrics. DoubleZero hits 80%+ stake on Solana.”
DeFi And Stablecoins
Qureshi forecass a extra concentrated perpetuals market construction. “Perp DEX market share consolidates to one thing like 3 large venues a la HBO (market share one thing like 40 / 30 / 20), adopted by a protracted tail of smaller gamers who compete over the leftovers (final 10%),” he wrote.
He additionally expects product growth into equities. “Fairness perps take off, turning into >20% of whole DeFi perp quantity by EOY,” he wrote, alongside “vital development in RFQ in comparison with CLOBs/AMMs, each on spot and perps.” He added a reputational tail threat: “Some DeFi-related insider buying and selling scandal hits mainstream media.”
Qureshi predicts a big growth in stablecoin provide whereas remaining overwhelmingly dollar-based. “Stablecoin provide expands by ~60% in 2026, and USD stays 99%+,” he wrote. He expects Tether to cede some share: “USDT dominance declines reasonably to ~55%.”
His strongest distribution declare centered on funds. “Stablecoin-backed playing cards develop 1,000% in 2026—insanely quick development,” Qureshi wrote. “Turns into the dominant manner that stablecoins land and broaden in rising markets. Rain is the largest winner right here.”
Regulation And Prediction Markets
Qureshi predicted a US legislative deal subsequent yr, however with caveats on what the business will get. “Readability Act will get signed into legislation in 2026 after some vital markups and horse buying and selling,” he wrote. “A little bit of purchaser’s regret from crypto insiders.”
He additionally forecast political scrutiny if Democrats take the Home. “Dems win the home, and there’s a parade of hearings about something in crypto that touched TRUMP / WLFI,” Qureshi wrote.
“The underlying offers get subpoenaed.” In his state of affairs, Trump distances himself: “Trump insists he was by no means concerned and didn’t know something about it (and thus these offers usually are not protected by govt privilege). Anybody who signed a silly deal will get publicly embarrassed.”
Qureshi expects prediction markets to broaden quickly amid unresolved US authorized fights. “Prediction markets develop like loopy,” he wrote, citing “large authorized fights over sportsbetting regulation and federal pre-emption,” however including that “nothing main will get resolved subsequent yr, so established order continues by means of 2026.”
He argued Polymarket extends its cultural edge and distribution. “In the meantime Polymarket continues to steamroll the tradition,” Qureshi wrote. “Prediction markets are perceived as cool and good, and so are allowed to throw up odds in all places.” He added that as home growth ramps, “it begins profitable an increasing number of home market share from Robinhood and sportsbooks.”
Most opponents, in his view, won’t matter. “The explosion of different platforms tacking on prediction markets largely flop,” he wrote. “90% of prediction market choices are completely ignored after which wind down by EOY.”
Qureshi mentioned “B2B partnership-driven distribution underperforms, direct-to-consumer outperforms,” with demand concentrated in “Polymarket, Robinhood, and Kalshi frontends (plus conventional sportsbooks).”
AI And Privateness
Qureshi argued crypto’s sensible AI use stays slender. “Main AI use circumstances in crypto stay inside software program engineering and safety. Every little thing else stays a prototype,” he wrote. “Pockets automation stays minimal.” He added: “AI brokers will nonetheless not be ‘paying one another’ or spending any significant cash in 2026.”
On spam and id, he dismissed the near-term feasibility of a Worldcoin-style gate regardless of theoretical promise. “Worldcoin has verified 17 million identities—that’s 1 in 500 individuals,” Qureshi wrote. “Being at 1/500 distribution is manner too small of an id base for any service to transition to utilizing Worldcoin as an id gate.” He instructed an alternate path: “ZK Passports are in all probability extra seemingly within the short-medium time period, as a result of far more of the world’s inhabitants as an NFC-enabled passport and might scan it with their telephones.”
Requested about privateness as a serious theme, Qureshi demurred. “I believe privateness goes to be a laggard,” he wrote. “Zcash will seemingly do properly as a result of individuals wish to imagine, and there shall be some adoption of personal transactions on Arc, Tempo, and so forth.” Nonetheless, he returned to his overarching body: “I predict largely individuals will preserve doing issues in 2026 the best way they’ve already been doing them.”
At press time, the overall crypto market cap stood at $2.93 trillion.
Featured picture created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
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